Abandoned ships that don't sink
I was listening to a Podcast replay of Discovery
Channel's "The Most Dangerous Catch" the other day.
They related the story of a 1981 disaster where the
F/V St Patrick, a 150-foot scallop boat, was caught in
a storm near Kodiak Alaska. Pounded by a couple huge
waves, the boat started to list up to 90-degrees. The
crew of 11 abandoned ship, but the liferaft had been
stripped away. Still, they donned survival suits,
lashed themselves together, and jumped into the frothy
waters. There weren't enough survival suits to go
around - some died within minutes, others the first
night. Eventually, their tethers parted and they were
separated in the storm and the long Alaskan night.
One of the 2 survivors was interviewed - he washed-up
on a small island near Kodiak 36-hours later. He was
astonished to learn the boat didn't sink afterall. It
was towed into harbor the next day, however sunk prior
to reaching dock. I'm sure the locals tell all
greenhorns "there, 50-feet beneath the surface, lies
the St Patrick, the last dry perch for 9 of 11 good
souls."
Its sobering to think these guys - some without
survival suits - decided to leave a boat and take
their chances in a 30-degree washing machine. I'm sure
some of the crew had more sea-time and rugged water
experience by age 8 than anyone on this list
accumulates in a lifetime.
Yet they jumped off a boat (a really big boat!) that
didn't sink.
Peter
www.SeaSkills.com
The story that Peter relates about leaving a floating ship reminds me that
"experience" and "smart" don't necessarily go together.
John Harris
I am pretty familiar with this story. It is a mistake to assume that the
crew were all that experienced. Certainly not about when to abandon
ship. As I recall, part of the problem was that there was a real lack of
experience. There is a detailed report of this accident, but I am not
sure just where to find a copy. This and several other accidents of a
similar nature resulted in new fishing vessel regulations, since
implemented, including training of captains and crews.
Mike
I am pretty familiar with this story. It is a
mistake to assume that the crew were all that
experienced. Certainly not about when to abandon
ship.
The survivor interviewed was a greenhorn - first trip.
The cook was also on a maiden voyage (she died the
second night). The experience of the others was not
told, but I'd imagine there was a mix and at least a
few of the mates were seasoned - yet they all got off
the boat.
My point in relating stories like this is to provoke
thought. I suspect a lot of folks spend a lot of time
thinking through what-if scenarios. There are lots of
stories about racing sailboats that were abandoned and
later found floating. I think its tempting to say
"hurumph - always step UP into a liferaft!!!" And
dismiss what happened as inexperience, stupidity, or
some other flaw that can somehow be avoided by prior
thinking.
But this was not a racing sailboat, and it wasn't
crewed with part-time sailors or arm chair sailors. It
was a 150-foot fishing boat. Perhaps a comparison to
sailboats can be dismissed (I'd caution against that),
but this certainly raises the bar of comparison.
Something happens out there that offsets what seems
like good common sense from this distance, filtered by
20/20 hindsight. Adlard Coles writes about the stages
of mental transition as boats encounter storms. Time
after time, people step off boats and take their
chances with the sea. There's nothing remotely
rational about that, yet there are dozens of
documented examples of doing just that.
Personally, I know what I'd do given what I know now -
the same thing those 11 people would do knowing the
boat never sank. But still, the torment of being in a
storm - a survival level storm - corrupts proper
thinking. And I'm not sure what to do about that -
except avoid survival conditions. And for the most
part, that's not too difficult.
Peter
www.SeaSkills.com
=======================
Peter Pisciotta
415-902-8439
Near as I can tell, the major reason for abandoning boats is the state
of shambles of the inside of the boat. One of the reasons why the Barnes
fellow recently abandoned his boat was that the interior was a shambles.
Of course in his case, the leg injury he had pretty well spelled the
end of his adventure.
But, I suspect he got his injury from something that got loose. And
there we are back to the loose gear problem. I brought a Cape Horn
Trawler around from Nova Scotia and I did not think the interior would
stay in place if the boat got rolled down 90 degrees on it's side. Maybe
once, but certainly not if repeated. The shelving and closets had lots
of heavy gear in them and were made out of soft wood, screwed, not
bolted in place, as I recall.
In the Kodiak boat's case, which has been discussed before on the forum,
as I recall. The folks were so spooked that the boat would roll over and
take them down that they jumped off anyway. Most would have survived if
they had just stayed with the boat.
Mike
Capt. Mike Maurice
Beaverton Oregon(Near Portland)